


Of Pointe Shoes and Anxiety

by astarryjelly



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artemis deserves better, Ballet, Bullying, Cute, Cyberbullying, Depression, F/M, Family, Fluff, Hip Hop, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, dance, wally is a good guy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 06:01:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23389945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astarryjelly/pseuds/astarryjelly
Summary: Artemis Crock is a secret ballet dancer, when wally west, a skater with a secret love of hip hop, and a few of his friends catch her will her world go up in flames or will their worlds collide in ways neither expected.
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West
Kudos: 8





	1. Caught

heavy music echoed off the cool white walls as her pointe shoes hit the floor with a gentle thud. the room was barren, save for a few barres pushed against a wall and mirrors lining the front. 

her warm blonde hair slapped against her face as she went in for her turns again. the girl continuously messed up, her leg swooping through before coming up in attitude behind her. each time she tried she messed up slightly. first, her leg wasn't high enough, then her arms were wrong. 

when she was finally content with her performance she took a brief pause. 

the studio was small only containing a few rooms. she found herself alone in the backroom, everyone from her class had gone home and left her standing there, lonely. time like this was used to practice her solo. 

she pressed play on the music, quickly running to her beginning pose. 

the dance was grueling, although the wear and tear on her muscles was worth the final product. 

his fiery hair blew in the wind as he skated down the low slope. the feeling of the wind in his hair and the pavement under his feet was euphoric. skating had always been something that was easy for him, a hobby he picked up when he didn't feel like dealing with his overbearing parents. the redhead met up with a few of his friends, going on a small trek around the neighborhood. 

the area was large, a quaint neighborhood with small houses. down the uneven road was a small shopping center with a supermarket and some other small stores. to the right of the shopping center was a quieter road, shrouded by trees and other flowers. 

the boys turned quickly and followed the path down to a smaller set of buildings. these were mostly retail stores and small fast food joints. there was one structure that stuck out to the group of boys however, a large white building. there were very few windows, a large white door on the front, and one smaller door on the side of the building. 

"hey west, you wanna check it out?" one of the guys asked, motioning to the building. 

wally shrugged, simply following the boys around the side of the building. they pushed through some bushes, coming to a slender grey door with a large window. inside stood a girl, about 5'7", with long blond hair pulled into a low ponytail. she seemed to be of asian descent, with faint olive undertones and plump lips. she was clothed in a sleek black leotard with a pair of light pink tights rolled up at the ankles and pointe shoes. 

"fuck dude is that artemis crock?" his friend hit his arm. 

"who?" wally asked. 

he was entranced by the way this girl moved. her legs were long and beautiful as they darted into the air. 

she was mid-turn when she slipped, falling flat onto her butt. she groaned loudly, the sound echoing throughout the space as she stood up, restarting.

he was so focused on this girl that he didn't even notice his friend had begun to record her. he caught her fall, as well as a little slip on some separate turns. it wasn't until she turned to the camera that the reality of what was happening truly set in. 

she lept into the air, separating her legs into a tilt jump. she was mid-leap when she caught a glimpse of some boys watching her through the window. 

the second those boys caught her stormy grey eyes, they darted, leaving a star-struck wally behind. 

she landed on the floor awkwardly, a sharp pain shooting up her leg before she onto her stomach. 

"ugh fuck!" she yelled. the girl looked up and noticed a redhead boy still standing there. his fiery red hair amuck on his head and a bandaid slapped across his left cheek. their eyes locked, a mess of grey ash coating the vibrant green forest of his eyes. 

there was a searing pain in her ankle. she knew this meant the end of her rehearsal tonight, as pointe on a possibly sprained ankle is extremely unsafe. she felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. 

dance was her escape, a looking glass she could fall through and escape from the harsh realities of her life. the idea of going home right now was horrifying, but she knew she couldn't stay here either. 

everything was too much, the rock in her chest sank deeper at the thought of the grade finding out about her hobby. she had kept it hidden, afraid people finding out would ruin her safe space, as well as cause more trouble for her in school. 

suddenly that rock felt like it weighed ten thousand pounds and all the air was knocked out of her lungs. her stomach twisted, as if she was walking down the stairs and missed a step. she stood up slowly, careful not to aggravate her ankle further. 

her heart felt like at any moment it would burst out of her chest and collapse onto the cool marley floor. tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled about the room, pacing. the door creaked open slowly and the figure entered. 

"hey um, are you ok?" the man asked. 

she turned to him. her fingers were laced together and her brows furrowed. 

"yeah- j- j- just a li- little nervous." she spoke in a whisper. 

he walked over to her and cautiously put a hand on her shoulder. 

"it's ok. breathe. copy my breathing. in... out... in..." they stayed like this for a while before artemis calmed down. 

"so what's your name?" he questioned. 

he was so struck by her beauty. her hair was disheveled and messy, sweat dripping slowly down her face, yet something about her struck him. her sharp cheekbones that bled up into cool grey eyes. her plumps pink lips and slender nose. she was mesmerizing. 

"i'm artemis, artemis crock." she said, extending a hand. 

"oh, well i'm wally. nice to meet you." he smiled, taking her hand and giving it a light shake. "by the way, is your ankle ok?" he questioned. 

she looked down, her ankle wasn't swollen in the slightest, just lightly bruised. he was mildly concerned until he inspected her closer, noticing that majority of her body was littered in bruises. surely it was nothing though, as this was extremely common amongst dancers.

"yeah it's ok." she spoke back. she stood up, casually removing her shoes to reveal horribly beat up and bruised feet, covered in blisters and cuts. 

she slid on some adidas sweatpants and socks and shoes before coming back to her place with wally. 

"so um," she pulled her hair out of its low ponytail. "why exactly were you guys watching me?" she questioned. 

he was amazed by her hair. it was blonde, falling to the floor when she sat. she retied it in a high ponytail, leaning forward and cocking her head to the side. 

"you see, i don't really know. we were skating and we saw a building and decided to explore. we saw you and i was intrigued so i watched." he said. he spoke very casually, like he was talking to an old friend and not to a girl he had just met minutes ago. 

"oh ok. don't you think that's a litt-" they heard dialogue off in the distance. artemis, distracted, checked the time and noticed that it was 10 o'clock and she would get in trouble if she wasn't home soon.

wally froze for a moment before realizing it was his friends coming back to look for him. 

"sorry i gotta go!" he yelled, grabbing his board and running out. 

he knew if his friends knew what just happened he would be made fun of for eternity.

the two went their separate ways, entirely unaware of what fate had planned for them.


	2. exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wally and artemis meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not the best i'm sorry in advance

when she awoke the next morning, her face burned violently. she looked at herself in the mirror, lightly dusting her fingers over the hand-shaped bruise on her neck and the slap mark across her face.

when her father found out she was home late and talking with a boy he lashed out, striking her across the face before pinning her to a wall by her throat. when he finally let her go she escaped to her room and went to sleep instantly, not wanting to deal with the cruelty of the world.

she pulled out her orange color corrector and some concealer and hid the bruises on her neck and face. she then moved on to her daily makeup, simply some mascara and lip tint with a thin layer of gloss.

picking her outfits for the day was always the hardest part. she knew she had to cover her scars and scabs on her legs as she could not let other people find out what she does to her body.

she decided on a pair of black ripped jeans and a black bodysuit. she covered her arms with a deep green flannel and pulled her black doc martens onto her feet, concealing socks with little dogs on them.

she slicked her hair back into its usual ponytail, her go-to style.

she walked briskly, knowing she would be late if she didn't hurry up, to her shelf and selected a few rings to put on, as well as her favorite necklace.

when she was finally satisfied with her look, she grabbed her green backpack and blue dance bag before running out the door.

the girl ran to the train station, just barely making it onto her usual train.

it was a comfortable environment, one she was familiar with. the car smelled of cleaning products and weed, a smell she was already accustomed to. she had been riding this train as long as she could remember. it was a safe place for her, a way to her dance studio when times got rough with her father.

she put her headphone into one of her ears, on edge in case something were to happen. nothing ever did, the train was always safe, but she didn't want to be caught off guard the day it did.

she pressed play on her playlist, blasting her favorite song into her ear.

as 'take me to church' by hozier blasted in her ear, she took in her surroundings. the trees blurred as they passed by her windows and the sun was just starting to rise above her new york town. 

wally pressed the snooze button on his alarm clock for the last time, settling himself back into bed. it wasn't until his aunt knocked on his door that he realized how late he was running. the sun shined brightly in the sky as he got dressed quickly. he threw on a yellow long sleeve shirt under a red button-down.

"iris! have you seen my favorite pants!" he yelled out, standing in his boxers. his door opened ever so slightly and a pair of light wash skinny jeans was thrown at him, torn from years and years of love.

he slid them on before lacing up his vans. he ran quickly to the kitchen, grabbing an eggo from the freezer and stuffing it into his toaster.

"good morning bud." his uncle barry spoke. 

"morning barry." he beamed, anxiously waiting for the pop of his toaster.

his parents had abandoned him at a young age. he never got the chance to know the two who birthed him, but that hole in his heart was soon replaced by his uncle barry and his wife iris. the two of them adopted him when his parents gave him up, and raised him from age 1 to now, age 17 in junior year of high school. iris is pregnant with twins so he doesn't see her too often, but barry is always there to help him learn new tricks and often plays outside with the energetic teen.

his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his toaster popping. he grabbed the hot eggos from the air, grabbing his backpack and running out the door.

"bye guys, love you!" he called behind him.

he slid into his car with ease. this had become routine for him as the teen seldom wakes up on time.

he makes the 20-minute drive to his school and parks in his spot.

wally pushes the sleek doors open and is met with a large crowd of people.

he sees a familiar ponytail in the crowd, attempting to run after it, but mere moments after it entered his line of vision it disappeared into the crowd.

his first period was his free period, the only reason for his early arrival being the two fourteen-year-old girls seated at a table in the back corner of the library.

wally west was a science tutor.

science was always a passion of his. his uncle was a police scientist, and he sparked an interest in a young wally, creating a lifelong passion.

he sat with those girls for an hour, helping them with their work. majority of their time was spent conversing, the girl occasionally slipping in a little comment about him. he knew that they were mostly here just to spend time with him because the freshmen girls always went after older guys.

his heart was set on someone else though, the blonde girl he met yesterday.

he dismissed the girls 30 minutes early, letting them run free for the rest of their free period.

he rose, packing his stuff, when he saw the hair again. it seemed to taunt him, follow him everywhere he went.

he turned around and saw her. she sat at a small table, hunched over a notebook. he took in a breath of courage before walking over and talking to her. he pulled up a chair and sat down.

the moment his butt touched the soft blue material of the chair, she jumped. her head darted up and their eyes locked again. he could swear for a brief moment he saw the faintest red mark on her face before she stood abruptly.

"um hi... i'm gonna go." she spoke, grabbing her bags and walking quickly out of the library.

he let out a rough sigh before grabbing his bags and leaving as well.

the school day went as usual, the only different being his thoughts. all he could think of was this girl. why was her face red, why was she so afraid of him, why hasn't she told anyone of her dancing.

her face stuck in his mind like glue. he soon found himself fantasizing about the girl, imagining the feel of her lips against his. not helping west, he thought, attempting to focus on his schoolwork.

the second school ended, he found himself heading towards his studio.

he threw his board to the ground and hopped on, riding down to the building. the structure seems a lot less daunting now, emitting a warm light. he snuck to the side of the building, peeping his head in to ensure it was only her in the room. 

she split her legs into a leap, coming down and brushing her leg around. just as she landed, she noticed the redhead standing in the doorframe again.

"hey arty." he said.

she flashed a quick smile at him, gesturing for him to take a seat on the floor in front of her.

"i saw your rehearsal yesterday," he spoke. "can you show me?" he asked.

her face flushed a violent red, and she looked down at her feet. she was wearing a pair of deep blue leggings and a black sports bra with her pointe shoes.

"um... yeah i guess..." she mumbled. she pressed play on her music, running to her spot as fast as possible.

she danced with ease. there was so much fluidity and comfort in the way she danced, as if it was something she knew like the back of her hand.

when she finished, she lay flat on the floor, catching her breath. her chest heaved and sweat dripped down her face.

"holy shit artemis that was beautiful." his mouth was agape and his eyes wide.

he had never seen someone move so beautifully, he figured her skills would be mediocre at best after witnessing her off day yesterday. but what he saw out there, was the best dance he had ever seen. she stumbled a bit at his words, burying her face in her hands.

"oh wow um thank you!" she smiled. "why are you so interested in my dancing?" she asked.

"oh well... i'm actually really into hip hop dance and i think lyrical and ballet is absolutely stunning and i just saw you and thought it was amazing."

"oh do you dance?" she asked.

"not exactly. my friends would make fun of me for it and they're pretty much my only friends so i don't really do it. i also haven't told my family so i usually just dance hidden in my room." he smiled sadly.

"well, i don't think they're your friends if they won't support your interests. plus, i guess you have me now and i think hip hop is really cool." she smiled, placing her hand over his.

"can i... can i show you some moves?" he asked.

"of course." she replaced him in his seat and watched as he prepared himself.

he started going, beginning with simple popping and devolving into some pretty intense moves. it was obvious it was a passion of his, his face lit up with the largest smile. his cheeks were red and his pearly white teeth shined through.

when he was done he sat down on the floor. his legs were crossed and his fingers laced behind his head.

"woah wally! you need to show people this!" she yelled, getting up and walking to him.

"i can't. i cant risk losing my friends..." he said, frowning. "artemis, you're the really gifted one. you stay here for hours dancing and yet no one at school knows. why don't you share it with people?"

"this... this place is my escape from whatever hell i'm experiencing at home or at school. i'm already lonely, i can't feel that anymore. i can't stand being bullied either. i just... i just can't."

sensing the mood he decided to make things a little brighter.

"care to dance?" he asked, standing up. he extended a hand and looked down at her.

"i can't. if my dad finds out this is what i've been doing here I'm gonna get murdered. i'm sorry wally." she frowned.

"come on. he's not here." he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. she let out a sigh and stood up prepping herself for what was about to happen. it was simple classical music, lots of gentle up and downs.

they started off separate, doing individual moves in their respective styles. every so often artemis would pull into an arabesque and wally would brush his hands across her leg gently, holding her.

eventually wally started removing his sneakers and artemis her shoes, leaving the both of them barefoot. they began to move in sync, copying each others moves carefully.

what they didn't notice, was a mysterious figure looming outside the door.

with the swift press of a button, their lives as they know them were absolutely altered. 

it was a gentle ping.

they paused their routine to check their social medias. artemis picked up her large lavender iphone and pressed on the screen to reveal a notification.

@artemisc_ @jake.mc tagged you in a post

she pressed the notification and observed the post.

wally paid no mind to artemis until he heard her phone clatter to the floor.

"hey you ok arty?" he asked, turning to her. he picked her phone up off of the floor and observed the post.

it was her, from yesterday. in the video, she fell to the floor with a thud before yelling and getting up practicing a second time.

all of the comments were snarky remarks about her and her dancing skills. they joked about her being secretive and weird.

she fiddled with her hands as she started to cry. he rushed to her side quickly, hugging her tight.

"hey hey hey its ok arty. breathe." he rubbed her back comfortingly. her face was buried in his chest and her arms came to rest around his torso.

"you're ok arty it's fine. i cannot believe he did that. that absolute fucker. arty can you go home? i'm gonna go beat his ass."

he pulled away from her. she nodded and walked over and grabbed her stuff. he hugged her tightly and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"be careful please." she said before walking out. wally was on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i was really in a rush writing this so it's not my best work. comments and kudos really appreciated ! 
> 
> this is artemis' solo  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJVsijdIMMc
> 
> and this is how i picture their duet went (with less stripping lol)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yp01iNQBeI


	3. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a talent show at school and Wally rescues Artemis.

Outside, in the garden, sat two young teens. The bench was smooth and cool as they rested, eating their lunches together. A flyer sat on the table in front of them, held down by an apple after being cautiously ripped from a wall in the building. The white paper stained with a deep pink image decorated with confetti.

'happy harbor high talent show!!'

"Artemis you have to do this! you're finally out there, you need to go on this stage and show them your real talent!" he exclaimed.

"wally you know I can't do that. I can't deal with being made fun of anymore." her eyes drifted down to the paper in front of her. "but just because I can't, doesn't mean you can't. you're finally free of those toxic friends why don't you show them what they're missing out on."

"Artemis I can't do that. I've hidden my passion my whole life and I wanna keep it that way. my family doesn't even know I love dance and if they find out I'm doing the talent show they're gonna want to come." he brushed his fingers across his black eye gently.

she glanced up at him, meeting his eyes.

"it's ok. we'll get through all of this."

"woahhhhhhh west!" he heard someone yell. there were cries and yells coming from the main cafeteria area.

Artemis' phone buzzed and she looked at the notification. a video had been sent to her. it was wally.

\--

"you absolute fucker!" he yelled, pelting the boy with punches. "how dare you do that to her!"

it was a fight. the two were attacking each other, beating the crap out of one another.

\--

"wally?" Artemis placed her hand on his shoulder gingerly. he looked away in shame.

"wally it's ok."

"no it's not!" he said, hitting her hand away. she flinched at his statement, pulling her hand back.

"wally... thank you, for protecting me." she hugged him from behind.

they only had each other at this point, but that's all they needed.

the two spent the day linked at the hip. any friends the two might have had are gone now. 

that night, Artemis had just come home from dance. it was 1:15 in the morning and the room was dim. the small lamp shoved in a corner cast a deep orange light across the room.

"Why are you back so late?" he asked, his voice was deep, echoing across the room.

she bowed her head slowly.

"I'm sorry father. I was practicing and I lost track of time and then my train home was delayed."

"that's a sorry excuse."

at this point, she didn't even bother fighting back. his large hand wrapped around her throat, pushing her down onto the couch.

"Please don't" she cried.

"shut your mouth." he grumbled, working his fingers down her torso.

his hands slid under her waistband and pulled her shorts down. She knew where this was going and she prayed that he would stop.

this was common, he never went all the way but when he was angry he would constantly touch her and rub her. every time she cried for him to stop but he never listened.

today felt different. 

"shut your bitch ass mouth." he yelled. 

He rubbed a thick finger across her core, testing it, before sliding two fully in. 

She had begun to sob, her body quaking as she cried. 

he lifted her, rolled on a condom, and slid himself inside her.

She never thought the day would come where her father went all the way, yet here she was, a searing pain burning through her core. 

she screamed and started sobbing violently before he slapped a hand over her mouth.

he spent the next few minutes thrusting into her, ignoring the blood dripping down her leg. She just sobbed, unsure of what to do at this point. She knew she had to get out of there, she couldn't stay there and let him keep doing this. eventually, he came and pulled out.

"If anyone finds out about this you're dead." he said. he pulled his pants up and walked back to his room.

she had given up on everything.

she laid on the couch for a while, trying to will her body to move. after 15 minutes she finally rose. she pulled her pants up and walked back to her room.

the room was fairly empty, save for her bed and a small white dresser. the walls were a simple white, lightly peeling with an Alice in Wonderland poster plastered on the wall.

on all fours, she shuffled around under her bed before she felt her fingers brush against a rough material. she grabbed the small duffel and began filling it with enough clothing to last her for a week.

she grabbed her backpack and her dance bag. lastly, she picked up her wallet and jacket.

the cool air blew in through her open apartment window. she dropped her bags onto the fire escape before climbing out herself.

the air blew chills across her tan skin. she pulled her hair out of its ponytail and slid her sweatshirt on.

she probably looked crazy right now. a 17 year old girl walking the streets of new york at 2 in the morning. she was dressed in some leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, carrying three bags. her hair was disheveled and messy and her makeup was smudged, she also limped as she walked. She was covered in bruises and cuts and her eyes were bloodshot. then again it's new york so maybe it's not too weird.

she had no clue where she was going. she pulled out her iPhone, contemplating calling her sister, whom she hasn't seen in years.

that's a bad idea

she opened the student directory app on her phone and looked for wally's address. he's the only person she could trust right now.

once she found it, she boarded the train and road to Happy Harbor. the ride was about an hour before she got off and walked 20 min to what she thought was his house.

she rapped on the door lightly. a young woman opened the door. she had messy red hair pulled into a ponytail and was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. She also appeared to be pregnant. 

"oh- oh my dear are you ok? do you need something?" she asked.

"um does wally west live here?"

"oh yes of course. let me go get him."

"WALLY!" she yelled.

a door in the back hallway creaked open to reveal a groggy wally. he wore a pair of loose pajama pants, they hung low on his hips, revealing a deep v leading to areas she was trying not to think about.

his hair was a mess atop his head and his eyes were full of sleep.

"hey iris what's- oh my god artemis." all the sleep left his eyes as he ran to meet her at the door, wrapping his arms around her.

"artemis what the fu-" he was cut off by her tears. the moment his strong arms slid across her torso the dams broke.

he held her to his chest while she sobbed.

"arty breathe. i need you to tell me what happened to you." he whispered into her hair.

"wally who is this girl?" iris asked.

"can we talk about it in the morning?" he pleaded.

normally iris would say no, most people wouldn't let their 'son' keep a girl in their house without knowing who it is, but it was clear this girl needs help.

"fine." she said before walking back to her bedroom with barry.

the house was cozy and dim. artemis couldn't tell if it was always like that or just because it was nearly 3 am.

he brought her back into his room and they collapsed together on her bed.

"do you... do you wanna stay here?" he asked.

"can i please?"

"do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"i think i need to just relax a little bit."

"that's perfectly ok. you wanna change?" she nodded and stood, grabbing her bag and stalking to the bathroom.

she contemplated, opting for a pair of black athletic shorts and a spaghetti strap cropped tank top. this would be the first time wally would see her legs and she was terrified. he would have to see all of her scars. she frowned, taking in a deep breath before leaving the bathroom.

when she emerged from the room, wally froze, taking in the sight in front of him.

"artemis." he breathed. it was almost a whisper, she barely heard it.

she laid face down on his bed, waiting for him to berate her.

"artemis why..."

"life is hard ok," she started crying, sitting up to face him. "my dad abuses me and i'm depressed and i get bullied at school and until i knew you i never had anyone who cared about me." she sobbed.

he hugged her tightly. he soon pulled away and asked her to lay down. she obeyed silently.

he laid down and pressed a kiss to every single one of her scars and scabs.

"where else do you have them?" he asked.

"my hips."

he kissed her hip bones through her shorts before looking up into her eyes. 

"hey arty, i think you're beautiful."

"thank you."

"do you... do you wanna talk about what happened?"

he sat up and leaned against his headboard, the cool wood a contrast against his heated body.

she snuggled into his side, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"he raped me." it was a whisper, barely audible but just loud enough for him to hear it ever so slightly.

"artemis..." he brushed his gentle tear away roughly, he didn't even realize he was crying.

"he would always do things like hurt me and sometimes touch me but tonight he went all the way. wally it hurt so bad. i needed to get away."

"i'm never gonna let anyone hurt you again."

He pulled her into his body and rubbed her back. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and threw her arm over his torso gently. 

"We're gonna be ok." He mumured as they drifted off to sleep. 

A loud sound rung out in the room, startling the two out of their sleep. the man reached his arm out, extending it to a small brown table beside him. He smashed his fist down on top the small alarm clock and sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms. It was a Saturday morning, so the two wouldn't have to rise for school. He let the girl sleep a little longer, pressing the button on the remote to turn on the news.

It was a habit of his, to watch the news every morning. He saw news of a man being arrested. 

'Famous Criminal Lawrence Crock Under Arrest for Murder"

He was a large man, buff and muscular. He had short blonde hair and scars running up his arms. His eyes were a grey green tone and his features were pointed and sharp.

The small woman awoke, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She leaned upward and looked at the news. It took her a moment before her eyes grew wide and she sat up.

"Oh my god." she mumbled, her hand rising to cover her mouth.

"what?"

"that's my dad," She motioned to the man on the screen in front of her. "he killed someone." She mumbled in disbelief.

"oh my god arty." He held her a little tighter.

she took in a deep breath before looking at him.

"I can't. Oh my god. Wally, that could have been me." she mumbled. he wrapped an arm around her. SHe took in a deep breath. 

"It's ok. I'm ok. I'm glad he's gone." 

"that's my girl."

there was a knock on the door and it slowly creaked open before barry and iris peeped their heads in.

"you guys decent?" barry asked.

"yes uncle barry." wally laughed in response.

the couple came in and sat on the foot of the bed.

"so wally, would you like to introduce us?"

"oh yeah... um artemis this is my uncle barry and his wife iris. barry and iris this is my um..." he took a look at artemis and froze. "um this is my girlfriend artemis."

the second the words fell out of his mouth her face quickly changed to match that of a tomato. she buried her face in her hands.

"oh well nice to meet you artemis."

"nice to meet you too."

" So Artemis, why did you show up at our house in the early morning sobbing?" iris asked.

"i- um- i" she couldn't get the words out. her breath caught in her throat and she started to stutter. she turned and buried her face in wally's arm.

"she comes from a poor family situation and last night was rough and she needed a place to stay." wally explained.

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry. Please stay as long as you want." Barry spoke, looking at Wally anxiously.

"I think she might have to," Wally pointed to the news channel. "That's her dad."

Artemis looked away, awkwardly scratching her arm. It was weird having people talk about her with her in the room.

"Oh my lord, do you not have siblings or a mother?"

She took in a sharp inhale, looking to Wally for comfort. He placed an arm around her waist, pulled her into him.

"Um... my mother was also a criminal. You might know her by the alias Huntress. When she went to jail it was just me and my older sister Jade with my dad. My sister was fed up with my dads abuse so she left. She ran away when I was 10 and I haven't seen her since. When my mom got back, my dad was angry at her for getting caught, so he shot her in the pelvis and she was wheelchair bound. Then when I was 15 he... he um... he killed her in front of me." She whispered the last part.

Wally had no clue the trauma this girl had gone through. When he glanced down at her shaking form, he noticed she had begun crying.

"Hey hey hey." He hugged her, letting her bury her face in the soft skin of his chest.

"I'm sorry for barging in on you guys I can just go I was just in a panic and I needed somewhere to stay and Wally is my only friend and I-" She was rambling again. Her words shooting out of her mouth faster than anyone could comprehend.

"No no please, stay as long as you'd like. You're safe here. We're just gonna go now, but please if you need anything don't hesitate to let us know. I'm about to make breakfast if you guys care to join us."

"Thank you..." She murmured.

The couple stood and left, leaving the two teenagers in the room by themselves.

"Wally?" She looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah Arty?"

"Why did you call me your girlfriend?" She asked.

"I- It was just to keep them off my ass." He spoke.

Her heart sank a little in her chest, she didn't know why but hearing him call her his girlfriend made her heart beat just a little faster.

He took in a deep breath, gathering all his courage.

"Although... if you're not opposed I'd love to make this real." He murmured.

"Are you asking me out?" She laughed, slapping his chest lightly.

"Maybe." He laughed back.

"Well of course. I'd love to be your girlfriend Wally."

He pulled her into her lap and let her straddle him. They sat there silently, foreheads pressed together for a moment before he spoke up.

"Can I kiss you?" He whispered. She just nodded slowly.

He leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft kiss, melding their lips together.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, breaking for air occasionally. His hands slid around her torso and hers found her way around his neck, gently tugging at some of his stray red strands.

They pulled away slowly, staring into each other's eyes.

"Hey Artemis... I love you." He murmured. 

"I love you too." 

After a while of making out and cuddling, they figured they should probably get up and get breakfast. 

They rose slowly from the bed. Wally walked to his dresser, pulling out a deep blue long sleeve shirt to pull over his exposed torso. 

The girl stood behind him shivering, the cool air from the morning drifting into his bedroom. He handed her a deep green sweatshirt, allowing her to slide it over her small body. She also pulled on a pair of nike mid-calves to cover her ankles, afraid she would freak out the adults.

She relished in the smell. The soft fabric brushing against her skin smelled like him, a comforting scent for her. Everything that had happened the night before drifted from her mind as she remembered everything happening with Wally. 

The couple sat down at a small brown table in the kitchen. She knew now that the house was always a little dim. It was cozy with mainly a blue and red tone. 

Barry was already seated at the table and iris was in the kitchen. 

"I hope you like pancakes Artemis." She called out letting out a light laugh. 

"Of course!" She responded. The older woman strolled back to the table, placing the plate down gently. 

"You might wanna get your fill, Wally will eat twice your weight in pancakes in 1o min!" Barry laughed. 

Wally, with his mouth already filled with pancake, looked down and his face grew red. 

"I- I do not!" He exclaimed. 

Artemis pulled a single pancake out of the stack and placed it on her plate, devouring it quickly. It had been a while since the girl had had a full meal. 

"Wow, the two of you are more similar than I thought!" Iris said, referencing Artemis' pancakes. 

"Its been a pretty long time since I've had a full meal." She looked off to the side.

Wally's smooth hand found it's way to rest on her thigh comfortingly. 

"Oh honey I'm so sorry." Spoke iris. 

"No no it's ok! I'm here now and I'm happy." She smiled at them. 

They made small talk the rest of breakfast. Artemis found out that Wally used to be a star track runner and he found out that Artemis used to play violin. 

After breakfast was over Wally ran back to his room to do something quickly with Barry and Artemis stayed behind to help Iris. She picked up all of the plates off the table and handed them to Iris, helping her wash dishes. 

"So Artemis, how did you and Wally meet?" 

She froze. 

"Um I was- I was practicing and him and his friends came and watched me but his friends ran away when I saw them but Wally didn't and we talked for a bit." 

"What exactly were you practicing?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh um I dance. I'm a ballet dancer although I dabble a little in contemporary."

"Oh that's so interesting! Those friends of his," she sighed. "I don't like them. They're so mean to him. I wish he wasn't friends with them." 

"I'm not." A voice spoke up. Both of the girls turned to see Wally. He was walking towards them. He placed a quick peck on Iris' cheek before back-hugging Artemis, resting his chin on her right shoulder.

"After they abandoned me, Artemis and I started talking more and she helped me realize how toxic they were. They um... they did something to Artemis and I kind of snapped. Let's just say I'm not talking to them anymore." 

"Oh Wally, I'm sorry I didn't know." 

"No it's ok. Besides I dropped my toxic friends for her, so in the end all's well that ends well." 

Wally stood at around 6'0", his head resting on top of Artemis' as he towered over Iris who was 5'3".

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with them and Artemis?"

"I was having an off day at dance, nothing was going well. They recorded me falling a bunch and sent it to the entire school and basically cyberbullied me," she gripped his hands on her stomach a little tighter. "Wally snapped at them and beat them up for me. They've abandoned him since then."

"Wally you beat someone up?!" 

"They were hurting Artemis. I'm not gonna let her get hurt any more than she already has. It was a risk I was willing to take."

"Wow Artemis, he must really love you. Wally has always been a lover, not a fighter."

"Well I love him too." She relaxed back into him. 

When they were finally done, Wally and Artemis walked back to his room. 

Artemis pulled on a pair of black leggings, paired with a deep blue crop top and Wally's green sweatshirt. He chose some blue jeans with a yellow long sleeve shirt. 

When they were done they sat on his bed, talking for a bit. 

"Wally... you don't have to answer if you don't want to but, what happened to your birth parents?" She asked, curiously. 

The second the words came out of her mouth, she noticed his face tighten. A single tear dripped down his face before he wiped it off aggressively.

"Um... when I was born, my parents didn't want me. They neglected me, barely feeding me or taking care of me or anything. When Barry and Iris noticed, they reported my parent's to CPS. Barry is also my godfather and the one who took care of me when my parent's didn't feel like it. So I ended up here. They raised me. I've lived here, with them, since I was 1 1/2. They're my parents in my mind." 

Her hand rose slowly and landed on his cheek, turning him to face her.

She kissed both of his cheeks softly before finishing on his lips. 

"I'm glad you're here. Those two love you so much and I'm glad you have this." She murmured before kissing him again.


End file.
